A/N: Hey y'all! I can't thank you enough for all of the support I've been given for this fic. Thanks especially to Stephanie, for keeping me on schedule (by threats, of course) and my wonderful beta ccluvshorses101! Love ya ladies! And, for all of you reading, please R&R! You make the writing process so much faster by reminding me people still read this ;) Now, I believe we have ourselves an amazing-but currently very frustrated-team to get back to!

Chapter 4: The Ride Back

Seventeen stories in the air, an impeccably dressed individual inspected the beautiful red rose that was soon to be a calling card replacing a soon to be "acquired" piece of art. Having decided that the name given by the FBI was quite fitting, The Gentleman decided to fit the part as much as humanly possible. Chuckling a little at the irony of the name-a gentlemanly thief! - the rose was set on a table so the harness, currently residing on the spotless white duvet, could be inspected. Finding everything to be in order, the harness was carefully packed into a dark duffel bag. Grabbing the rest of the luggage from the corner-packed earlier that morning in the same immaculate fashion-the cunning thief was about to exit the penthouse when the buzz of a cheap cell phone sounded. Stopping, The Gentleman flipped the phone open. The voice at the other end didn't bother with a greeting, instead immediately getting down to business.

"We're go for tonight on my end. Are you ready?" The woman on the other end of the line knew this question might as well be rhetorical; The Gentleman was always prepared.

"As always." The black clad figure replied.

"I'm not sure we should strike again so soon. The FBI is getting desperate, from the looks of things, and that could be dangerous for us."

The thief sighed. "You know what the warden said; we need the piece in two days for the deal to go down. After that—"

"Yes, yes, I know, only one to go." Alice had heard this many times already, having been there when the warden said it.

"Exactly. Plus, who would I be to rob the FBI of a show, starring the one and only Gentleman?" Asked The Gentleman with a grin.

"Well, of course not! That would be just criminal," Alice laughed. "I'll see you early tomorrow morning, then?"

"But of course." Replied the thief. "I'll be the one in the suit."

Both ends were laughing when the line disconnected. Dropping the phone in the already-filled tub, the thief donned a silken black top hat and entered the sparkling elevator, whistling a cheery tune all the while. This, the thief thought is going to be even more fun than I thought.

On the ride back to the office, the entire team had an air of frustration surrounding them, almost tangible, like a fog. There was little discussion, but the same thing was going through each of their minds: What do we do now?

It was certainly a valid question. Unless one of the twelve Bachelors was had recently acquired a Dalí, they were back to square one. They were all handling this knowledge differently. Jones was driving himself and Diana in his car, and was quite certain his boss would figure it out. When didn't he?

Diana was pensive, but remaining calm. The investigation was early yet, and the Bachelors might prove a solid lead; if not, they'd handled worse. She was driven by the fact that The Gentleman was a cocky SOB, and it irked her to let the cocky ones get a lead. God, but Caffrey had been bad enough. Plus, she was confident that, between her boss and-she admitted to herself grudgingly-Caffrey, they would catch this guy. It was just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, all too aware of his subordinates' faith in him, Peter was getting more annoyed by the minute. The case that had been such a wonderful change of pace in the beginning was quickly becoming one of the most aggravating cases he'd seen since…well, since Neal. Every time Peter thought he had something on his new adversary, it vanished in a puff of smoke. He felt like he was walking through a hall of mirrors; each turn only revealing how little he really knew! Taking a deep breath for the fifth time in so many minutes, he tried, once again, to relax. Getting a hot head, he decided, was not going to help him catch this guy any quicker. Neither is driving like a maniac thought Peter, as he was brought to the realization he'd just run a red light by numerous honks and an oath from Neal.

Peter's crazy driving had brought Neal out of his thoughts. He had been considering how much effort a heist like that had taken, especially to make it look effortless. The planning, meticulous but necessary, would have to have been thorough and lengthy. The clothing-Neal shuddered at the thought of such strenuous physical activity in a suit-would have been picked ahead of time. Camera locations would have to have been memorized. For such a hot piece, a buyer was more than likely lined up in advance by a fence that specialized in high-end pieces. Neal had just come to the conclusion that The Gentleman must have had a partner when Peter decided to start driving like a maniac.

"Whoa, man, calm down!" Neal managed to get out after his initial surprised swearing. "The evidence won't disappear if we don't get there right now!"

Peter gave a hollow laugh. "But, isn't that just it? It all keeps disappearing-the leads, the evidence, our options, all just-just-" Peter was surprised with himself—he rarely let his temper get this out of hand, even with a case this hot.

"Nonexistent." sighed Neal. "I know, I get it. But look at the bright side: we're probably going to get another shot here pretty soon."

"What makes you say that?" asked Peter, who was actually bothering to stop at the red light this time. "If I were him, I'd lay low with my newly acquired fortune; I certainly wouldn't risk it again."

"Of course not, Peter. You're too much of a good guy to even think of it. But, I'm going to let you in on a little thieving secret now, so listen." Peter leaned in intently at Neal's words, trying to keep his eyes on the steadily thickening traffic.

"I'm listening." Peter tried not to sound overly enthusiastic; he still wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

"Great thieves don't steal for money or the art itself. Yes, money is a factor, and some pieces are worth stealing for. But, in reality, it's all about one thing: the rush of adrenaline, the thrill of excitement you get when successfully pulling off a heist. It's exhilarating—and this guy just got a good taste of it. Trust me- he'll be back, with a bigger and better score." Neal knew Peter would never fully understand; he just hoped he would accept. One had to have experienced it to understand the thrill.

With a sigh, Peter did just that. "If you're sure, Neal, we'd better get back to the office; when our thief goes for this 'bigger and better' score we'll be watching."

"And whenever The Gentleman is involved, there is sure to be quite a show." Neal added.